Dr. Noreen Lyell joins Course 20 this fall as a full-time instructor primarily associated with 20.109, Laboratory Fundamentals in Biological Engineering.

A native of Phoenix, Arizona, Lyell knew at age nine, when she got a microscope and chemistry set for Christmas, that she wanted a future in science. The first in her family to go to college, Lyell assumed she would have a future in medicine as an undergraduate at the University of Arizona, until she learned that graduate school was an option. Lyell changed her major to microbiology and then went on to pursue a PhD at the University of Georgia in microbiology.

Upon completing her PhD, Lyell accepted a post-doctoral appointment at Tufts Medical School in which she looked at regulatory mechanisms that enable motility and survival in soil. During the post-doctoral experience, Lyell realized she missed teaching and joined Boston College as an adjunct faculty member, teaching laboratory research courses in molecular biology and biochemistry.

While Lyell enjoys the science, she is most passionate about teaching. “I’m really excited to throw myself into teaching full-time,” Lyell shares. “I can put my whole self into teaching without having to balance outside research responsibilities.” So far, Lyell has been really impressed by how “friendly and helpful” the BE community has been.

When Lyell is not in the lab or teaching, she can be found running around Back Bay (literally) and playing with her two dogs, Caly and Buddy. Lyell is gearing up for her first marathon in Phoenix this January and is dreading winter in New England. Lyell is currently sharing an office space with Dr. Shannon Hughes (16-429B) and can be reached at nllyell@mit.edu.